COVER STORY

25 Key Obama Promises

Sat. Jul 19, 2008


Online ExtraCampaign Promises
Search a comprehensive directory of the pledges Barack Obama and John McCain have made on the campaign trail and online.

Barack Obama has promised to ...

Administration
Require new hires to deny cronyism
"Obama will issue an executive order asking all new hires at the agencies to sign a form affirming that no political appointee offered them the job solely on the basis of political affiliation or contribution."
--Obama's "Blueprint for Change"

Agriculture
Increase tax incentives for farmers
"[Obama] will also provide tax incentives to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm. Obama will increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests."
--Obama's "Blueprint for Change"

Civil Rights
Clean up the Justice Department
"I will rid the department of ideologues and political cronies.... The Civil Rights Division will actually be staffed with civil-rights lawyers who prosecute civil-rights violations, and employment discrimination, and hate crimes."
--09/28/07, Washington

Defense
Consult Congress before taking military action
"I will call for a standing, bipartisan consultative group of congressional leaders on national security. I will meet with this consultative group every month, and consult them before taking major military action."
--10/2/07, Chicago

Close Guantanamo detention center
"As president, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere to the Geneva Conventions."
--8/1/07, Washington

Ban torture
"When I am president, America will reject torture without exception."
--8/1/07, Washington

Secure nuclear material
"As president, I will lead a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons and material at vulnerable sites within four years--the most effective way to prevent terrorists from acquiring a bomb."
--4/23/07, Chicago

Economy
Cut taxes for the middle class
"I not only have pledged not to raise their taxes, I've been the first candidate in this race to specifically say I would cut their taxes."
--4/16/08, Philadelphia

Help low-income workers
"To make work pay, I will also triple the Earned Income Tax Credit for full-time workers making the minimum wage."
--7/18/07, Washington

Provide a homeowners' tax credit
"We'll provide struggling homeowners some relief by giving them a tax credit that would cover 10 percent of a family's mortgage-interest payment every year."
--1/29/08, El Dorado, Kan.

Insist that trade agreements include labor and environmental standards
"I will not sign any trade agreement as president that does not have protections for our environment and protections for American workers."
--2/24/08, Lorain, Ohio

Education
Increase pay for teachers and principals
"So let's make a promise right now that if you're a teacher or a principal doing the hard work of educating our children, we will reward that work with the salary increase that you deserve."
--7/5/07, Philadelphia

Energy/Environment
Curb global warming
"As president, I will set a hard cap on all carbon emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming--an 80 percent reduction by 2050."
--10/8/07, Portsmouth, N.H.

Ethics
Restrict lobbyists
"When you walk into my administration, you will not be able to work on regulations or contracts related to your former employer for two years. When you leave, you will not be able to lobby the administration throughout the remainder of my term in office."
--5/19/08, Billings, Mont.

Foreign Policy
Withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq
"I will begin to remove our troops from Iraq immediately. I will remove one or two brigades a month and get all of our combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months. The only troops I will keep in Iraq will perform the limited missions of protecting our diplomats and carrying out targeted strikes on Al Qaeda."
--10/2/07, Chicago

Put conditions on aid to Pakistan
"As president, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan."
--8/1/07, Washington

Support Israel
"I will bring to the White House an unshakable commitment to Israel's security."
--6/4/08, Washington

Health Care
Ensure all Americans have health insurance
"I have made a solemn pledge that I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premiums by up to $2,500 a year."
--6/23/07, Hartford, Conn.

Immigration
Reform immigration laws
"And when I'm president, I will put comprehensive immigration reform back on the nation's agenda, and I will not rest until it is passed once and for all."
--7/22/07, Miami

Infrastructure
Protect New Orleans
"When I am president, we will finish building a system of levees that can withstand a 100-year storm by 2011, with the goal of expanding that protection to defend against a Category 5 storm."
--2/7/08, New Orleans

Invest $60 billion in infrastructure
"I've proposed a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that will invest $60 billion over 10 years."
--2/24/08, Lorain, Ohio

Labor
Support workers' right to organize
"And if American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States."
--11/3/07, Spartanburg, S.C.

Religion
Expand faith-based initiatives
"I'll establish a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The new name will reflect a new commitment. This council will not just be another name on the White House organization chart. It will be a critical part of my administration."
--7/1/08, Zanesville, Ohio

Technology
Provide every American with broadband access
"As president, I will set a simple goal: Every American should have the highest-speed broadband access--no matter where you live, or how much money you have."
--6/16/08, Flint, Mich.

Veterans
Improve the Veterans Administration's hospital system
"I've pledged to build a 21st-century VA as president."
--5/12/08 Charleston, W.Va.

For a comprehensive listing of the presumptive presidential nominees' campaign promises, go to nationaljournal.com/campaigns. Already, Democrat Barack Obama has made more than 225 pledges, and Republican John McCain has made more than 150. National Journal will keep tracking their promises and adding new ones until Election Day.